Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

Hey Guys! I'm so sorry about being this rate. College is a pain in the ass, and a freaking fortress in terms of getting any creative work done. I really want you guys to know that I haven't forgotten this story, I am still as much passionate about it as I was initially, and I will try my best, but I also do not want to give you guys unnecessary hope. However, my winter break is coming up so I should be able to post a couple of chapters in the upcoming month or so. As for this, please enjoy and review.

Chapter 12

Normal POV

"Natsume, when did you get here?" Perked Ruka, carefully glancing to and fro between Natsume and Mikan, entertained by the subtle tension that the air around them seemed to be saturated with. Natsume completely ignored Ruka's question, turning his head to focus on the little blob of auburn hair, which jerked up as soon as he spoke to meet his gaze with an almost frenzied look. He saw, as those warm, honey brown orbs speckled with chocolate streaks fixated on his crimson red ones, the wild tumult that seemed to rage in those swirling flecks of color in her eyes, almost physically held his gaze giving way to the encompassing array of emotions that seemed to flog her. There was a fair amount of surprise strewn there, with a healthy dose of anger, and a constant flickering of irritation, and last but definitely not the least, a profound sense of pride. And then her eyes went all glassy and I couldn't see anything any more.

Mikan had already composed herself, her face was again devoid of any form of emotions, and her eyes were hard, very much aware of the need to retain her composure in front of Natsume. As Natsume stared at her, he was very much conscious of her inhibitions, perhaps even much more than usual, knowing that even he would not be able to get her to lower her restraints.

The rest of the people around the table kept flashing each other inquisitive glances, none completely comprehending the interaction that they were an audience to. Hotaru, laid back against the cushion, smirking to herself, patiently waiting for the spectacle to unfold in front of her. Sumire was growing more agitated by the minute; nobody had spoken a word in the last five minutes or so, choosing to shift from one face to another, carefully avoiding any form of conversation. She banged her palms against the pale, cool granite slab and stood up, twirling around to face Natsume, and asked, "So, I suppose you are the Natsume Hyuuga everyone keeps talking about. I thought you wouldn't be coming here tonight?" Tilting her head towards Koko, as she pointedly addressed the question at Natsume.

Koko's sweat dropped, as he backed against the couch stealthily. Natsume smirked at him, and then returned his glance towards Mikan, who sat craning her neck to stare at something over his shoulders, desperate to avoid his eyes.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Shrieked Sumire, snapping her fingers in front of Natsume's face as his head jerked back at the sudden noise, his lips twitching at the distraction. This was the first time Natsume paid attention to the other girls on the couch.

The girl with the curly green hair, the one who was just screaming at him, sat with her body edged towards the table, her hands gripped into tiny fists, straining against the white marble of the table. Her seaweed green eyes, blazed with a certain amount of protectiveness, peaked his interest. He saw the exact same emotion repeat at varying levels in the eyes of each of Mikan's friends. The pink haired and the blue haired girls were watching him, with a hint of wariness and exasperation, as if it would have been better if they hadn't met him. The protectiveness was still there though, evident in the way they strained towards Mikan in their seats on either sides of her. Then, there was Hotaru Imai, who sat sort of separated from the rest of the group, more calm and collected than the rest of the group, as she coolly assessed him. Everybody in Uchicago has heard of her; she was famous even before she came into college, which just served to increase her fame. If what I had heard of her was true, then this unaffected demeanor was simply a convenient look. She was looking at me with a mildly interested and intrigued expression. However, I knew from the way in which her eyes were completely fixated on me with her shoulders squared and her palms resting on her knees, that she was perhaps the most watchful over Mikan. There was a clear cold menace about her, and he deduced that her interest in him was probably mostly directed to how she would literally crush him if he put one toe out of line with Mikan.

What Natsume couldn't figure out was why they felt the need to protect Mikan so vehemently. From all of his experiences regarding Mikan Sakura, he never got the impression that she needed protection. She might be a lot of things, but weak was not one of them. So there must be a reason why they were acting this way around her. All Natsume needed to do was figure this reason out, and then he would be one stop closer to deciphering the mystery that was Mikan Sakura.

Natsume was pulled from his reverie as Sumire once again snapped her fingers in front of his face. His confused face, momentarily morphed into irritation, and then the entire situation seemed so ridiculous to him that he could not help smirk at the fuming girl.

"What did you say your name was again?" Asked Natsume.

"I didn't. It's Sumire." Sumire grumbled.

"Well, Sumire! I don't know if I am 'the' Natsume Hyuuga everyone keeps talking about. Granted, I do not think my friends know anyone else with the same name as me. But we can ask if you want to make sure." Natsume breathed out, finishing the line with a wink at Sumire and a wolfish grin as his eyes flicked towards Mikan for a second who was paying attention to the exchange with a sour look.

"Listen here, Mr Smarty Pants. No one here is impressed with your so called 'charm' or whatever. So you can stop with the wink and smirks." Muttered Sumire.

This made Natsume grin, as he lurched forward, invading Sumire's personal space, fixing her with an intense gaze and uttering under his breath, "Is that so?"

This made Sumire pause, as the sharpness of the crimson of his eyes and all his angles, made her inhale sharply. Regaining her composure after a minute, she literally screamed at Natsume,

"You...!"

"I think we should properly introduce ourselves, and not scream each others head off." Hotaru's voice cut through the table. Sumire turned to Hotaru, and then settled back against her seat, huffing out, looking irritated at not being given the opportunity to finish her rant.

Natsume glanced over her Hotaru, who now sat with her elbows propped on the table. With Natsume's attention focused on her, Hotaru began introducing the rest of the group. The pink haired girl with a heart shaped face was Anna Umenomiya, and the girl with straight navy blue hair was Nonoko Ogasawara. They both gave him a curt nod when they were introduced.

"So, Natsume Hyuuga, we were under the impression that you would not be able to make it tonight?" Asked Hotaru, her voice betrayed a very well veiled mirth.

"I like to surprise people." Natsume countered, interested to see how this conversation plays out.

"Of course. Forgive us if we seemed a bit aggressive in the beginning," her eyes flickering to Sumire for a second before returning to him, "as you can assume, we are very protective of one another, and your history with Mikan did not serve in your favor."

Natsume couldn't help but be impressed with the level of control Hotaru had over her voice, her tone betrayed no emotion, neither positive nor negative.

He replied with an equally detached voice, "Well, it's not nice to presume about people without hearing both sides of the story."

"Are you saying there is a different side to the story?" Retorted Hotaru.

This got Natsume grinning, as he turned to Mikan, and settled back against his chair, keeping his eyes on Mikan the entire time.

It had an immediate effect. Mikan sat up straight, started fidgeting with the straps of her side bag, with her straight auburn hair falling to her side to cover almost her entire face, with only the edges of her glasses peeking out. Everyone's eyes shot to her when she rose up, dragged her bag with her and flicked her hair back.

"I really should be going. It's getting late and I have an early class tomorrow. It was nice meeting all of you." Mikan stuttered, as she edged to the corner of the table.

"I'll walk you to the door." Natsume rose, finally getting his chance.

His sudden offer took Mikan by surprise, and she staggered back, the back of her thighs hitting the wooden part of the seat, and she had to push her arms against the seat-rest to stabilize herself.

This truly startled Natsume; he did not expect Mikan to be so rattled by his presence, where she herself had such a demanding one. It seemed that she was almost uncomfortable in her own skin, like she was actually afraid of it, afraid of what it could do.

His brows furrowed, taking in her defensive stance; the lowering of her shoulder, widening of her eyes and most importantly, the clenching of her fist. She gulped, gathered herself, straightened and walked out of the roundtable before anyone could say anything. Natsume followed, almost as silently, as she had made her exit, throwing a nod at the crowd still gathered at the couch table, stunned by the recent turn of events.

Mikan was huddled against a nearby pillar, her arms around herself, the nails digging into the leather of the jacket. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply, each of her breaths ending with a shiver, as she tried to get herself under control. It's almost distressing to see her so disheveled. She fished a pack from her purse, and took out a cigarette, settling it in between her lips, she started rummaging her bag for something to light it with.

"I didn't know you smoked." Natsume asked quietly.

"Fuck!" She yelped, dropping her cigarette onto the cold, wet asphalt.

She threw her head back, her hands rising to her neck, clearing out the strained muscles, and took two deep breaths. She straightened suddenly, and strode towards Natsume, her hands outstretched.

"What do you WANT?" Mikan shrieked, jabbing her finger straight at his chest, a look of absolute exasperation evident in her face, "Answer me, goddamn it!"

"Of course, you're not gonna give me a straight answer…I still don't understand why I bother with you." Mikan blurted out, the heels of her hands digging into her eyes, "Just forget it, I'm leaving."

Mikan had already reached the other side of the road before Natsume had gathered his wits and ran n after her. Resignation was still not something he was used to associating with Mikan. He hurried up, cutting across Mikan to stop directly in front of her, his arms pulled up in front of him to prevent Mikan from crashing into him.

Mikan stopped just in time. Flinging her hair away from her eyes, she glared at him, refusing to speak.

"Hey, hey—okay, stop! I realized that I must have crossed some sort of line with you, even though I have no bloody idea as to what it could possibly be, but…please, just hear me out." Natsume said, deflating slightly with the effort it took to utter the 'please' word.

Mikan simply crossed her arms, and quirked her eyebrows at him.

Natsume was stumped. He hadn't planned beforehand as to what he wanted to say to Mikan, other than the fact that he wanted her to not leave. So, he settled for the safest topic of discussion, "Don't leave your friends on my account. You guys were having fun, I shouldn't have intruded on like that. Really, just go back, finish your night. I was planning on heading back anyway."

Mikan's brows furrowed, trying to decipher Natsume's sudden change of heart. She couldn't detect any hidden agenda behind his words. She exhaled, "No, there's no point going back now. It's quite late anyway."

"Mind if I tag along with you?" Natsume asked, almost ready to be rejected.

Mikan shrugged, wrapping her jacket tighter around herself. She started walking towards the subway.

Natsume, stunned, initially at the absence of any refutal, caught up with her.

With his hands tucked into his jean pocket, Natsume walked alongside Mikan, in what could safely be termed as a 'companionable silence' for the first time.

So, this chapter is done. My next chapters will be a bit longer, which I am eager to delve into. Please do leave a review, any concerns and improvements, pretty much anything will be appreciated. Thank you again for your patience.